


The Ultimate Threat

by oliviawrites



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Gay Male Character, John Watson - Freeform, Johnlock - Freeform, Love, M/M, Sad, Sherlock - Freeform, Sherlock Holmes - Freeform, TRF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 19:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10225814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oliviawrites/pseuds/oliviawrites
Summary: This is a story set pre-TRF. It deals with John trying to figure out how he feels about Sherlock and Sherlock trying to repress his love for John in order to defeat Moriarty.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter of a fic I just recently started writing. I don't know how many chapters there will be, but the chapters will be relatively short. This is a little sad, so only read if you want to read a sad fic. Notice the warnings. None of those happen in this chapter, but they will happen in future chapters. Enjoy!

Sherlock sits idly in his chair, sipping a piping hot cup of tea. He opened up his emails on his laptop to search for a case. He scrolled through, and suddenly his face lit up, intrigued, and he cracked a smirk. 

"John, I believe I have found a case sufficiently interesting enough to challenge my immense talent and wit. John?" Sherlock called.

_Silence._

Sherlock peeked his head around his laptop. John's chair was empty. Sherlock sighed. If only John knew how often Sherlock talked to him when John's away. Sherlock sighed and continued to sip his tea, now disappointed. 

 

***

 

John walked through the paint-chipped door of 221B Baker Street. 

"Oh good, you're back," said Sherlock, immediately upon John's entrance. "We have a case," he added matter-of-factly.

"A case? But we just solved the one with the missing people," said John, exasperated.

"Yes, but I _need_ a case. I'm..." Sherlock hesitated as he observed John. "bored." He paused, waiting for John to agree. John looked at Sherlock like he was trying to process something.

"Is it Moriarty that's got you like this, Sherlock?" inquired John. "Cause I-"

"Of course not," Sherlock lied. He paused. "We will depart now."

John reluctantly complied and shuffled behind Sherlock out of the flat. The pair ran into Mrs. Hudson on the stairs.

"Running around as usual, loves?" she said with a smile. "My husband and I were never quite as active as you two."

John spit out a hasty "He's not my boyfriend," and Sherlock did not reply to Mrs. Hudson's comment but instead motioned to John to come down the stairs. They hopped into a cab and the cabbie drove off. During the ride, Sherlock was silent. His thoughts roamed. He glanced at John longingly. Sherlock knew he'd have to do something drastic to escape Moriarty's tight grasp, but what, yet, he did not know. Until then, he had to keep John safe. Sherlock wouldn't be able to live if one of Moriarty's snipers shot John and Sherlock wasn't there to save him. 

"John," Sherlock said.  
John turned to Sherlock and looked right into his eyes.  
"I-" Sherlock began, then he stopped. His eyes grew wide as dinner plates. Just outside the cab window past John's head, spray painted on a brick wall were the letters "I. O. U." Sherlock started to panic. His breathing became heavy and lacked normal rhythm, and his fingers shaked and trembled with sheer terror. 

"Sherlock, what is it?" inquired John, now distressed. 

"Nothing," Sherlock said with a shaky voice.  
John gave Sherlock a concerned look, unconvinced, but upon seeing Sherlock's white face turned away in silence. 

John was worried. Sherlock had been acting strangely lately, more so than usual. Of course, John suspected drugs, and confronted Sherlock about it. Having already confiscated the cocaine months ago, John took the cigarettes this time. He genuinely cared about Sherlock and his health and would never let Sherlock subject himself to such horrors while John was around. But even after taking the drugs, Sherlock still seemed to act weird. John couldn't put his finger on why, but Sherlock seemed a bit more sad than usual. Sherlock thought John didn't notice things, but he's not blind. He could tell Sherlock was troubled. John assumed it was because of Jim Moriarty, but why, then, would Sherlock be sad? Sherlock loves solving cases, and Moriarty has been his biggest case yet. Sherlock enjoyed all of Moriarty's timed cases, as John wrote about in his blog, so why would Sherlock be upset? Doesn't he always say that "the game is on?" The events of a couple months ago up to now sure have been one hell of a game.

 

***

 

Sherlock's mind spiraled into insanity. Moriarty's ultimate threat from the evening at the pool where Carl Powers died played over and over in his head like a record on replay.  
_I'll burn the heart out of you._  
But what could that mean? Sherlock knew Moriarty was suspicious about his relationship with John. While Sherlock had tried to be inconspicuous, Moriarty somehow _knew_ that Sherlock really did have a heart, and that heart mainly felt for John Watson. Sherlock knew that Moriarty adeptly picked up on his weaknesses and figured out that he masked his feelings with drugs, exceptional intelligence, and a sociopathic facade. Sherlock feared Moriarty would try to manipulate his feelings to get to him, just like he did the night at the pool where Carl Powers died. Sherlock shuddered. He just couldn't let anything happen to John. He couldn't. Sherlock felt extremely sick. At first, when the cabbie from the serial suicides had told him about his "fan" he liked the idea, but even in his worst nightmares, he could never have dreamed of someone like Moriarty. Moriarty devours the secrets, fears, and emotions of the weak, and preys on the innocent. It's terrifying. In Sherlock's mind, Moriarty is something of a monster, and nothing less.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! I don't know how many total chapters there will be, but I will probably be posting the second chapter in a month or two. If you liked it, please stay updated. Thanks for reading!


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